Inevitable
by JakeNewman
Summary: The origin of Smith...Or is it?
1. Clock Watching

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Clock watching**

He sat gazing out of an open window, the cool, fresh, summer breeze rustling through his hair. His mind was preoccupied, he couldn't stop thinking, he was compelled to think. His thoughts were of the impossible, things that a human mind cannot understand. "Are you listening?" a teacher's voice enquired. Resisting the immediate urge to say no, the boy nodded. "Good, I'd hate to think we were both wasting our time", answered the teacher sarcastically. The teacher walked over to the open window and shut it firmly, blasting one last gust of air through the room and violently shaking all loose paper on every surface in the room. The boy stared at the teacher's shoes, the hypnotic way that they pulsed in front of each other as he walked, occasionally catching the light and blinding him. 

The boy was so deeply lost in his thoughts that nothing else mattered, or if it did, he didn't notice. Still looking at the teacher's shoes he grabbed his paperwork, threw it into his bag and promptly left the room. No one followed him, nobody talked to him and no one acknowledged him. He didn't notice. His mind was still busy, he had to figure it out, but how? What he'd seen was not open to interpretation or mistakable for something else, a million people could have seen what he'd seen and would have thought the same thing. He knew however, only person had seen what he'd seen, and that person was himself. 

He had been walking to school, the normal way, and as usual, without company. His journey to school was tiresome, both for the long distance and for the dull surroundings; this allowed him to think of other things, usually. This, however, was different to usual, he couldn't explain how. It was as if someone had picked up all the pieces that made up his hometown; the trees, the grass, the road, the people, and had moved them all somewhere else. As humans like to do, to avoid thinking about the things that make them uncomfortable, he cast these thoughts aside and continued to walk. He walked past winding roads, past towering trees that chilled the air below them and past grey, industrial buildings. 

Further along he came to a tunnel-way, partially secluded by the dark green foliage of the woodland around it. He stopped and pondered the black tunnel and wondered where it led to. He could hear the faint sound of struggling, someone gasping for breath. As his heart raced the blackness began to change, he could see something moving. He watched closely, like he was watching a movie, believing he was untouchable, an innocent bystander. Out of the dark stumbled two men, one man on his knees trying to pry the hands of another man from his neck. The other man was strong, hardly moving from the desperate punches of his victim. With his hands firmly clasped around the man's neck, he stood like a machine, relentlessly choking him to death. The kneeling man fell limply to the floor whilst his murderer stood tall casually surveying his work from above. 

The boy could not believe his eyes, was what he'd seen real? He wanted to leave, his brain was telling him to run but his legs weren't moving. Then, in a split second, a flash of light caught the boy's eyes and he turned to see green lightening shoot through the body of the man still standing, illuminating the walls of the tunnel with a putrid green. A petrifying fizzling sound echoed in the tunnel and the man's face began to change. The boy's pupils grew so big that his eyes looked black, he was concentrating so hard on the face of the man, he watched more green lightening shoot across the man's face, he listened to the fizzling sound dissipate into the distance, he watched the man's face disappear and the face and body of someone else replace it and fall to the floor, dead. 

As the boy walked through the corridors at school his heart still pounded from what he'd seen those few hours ago. The only way he'd found to make sense of it all was to accept that it didn't make any sense. He was determined to understand what had happened, he was sure he would, eventually. It was only a matter of time. His eyes were fixed on the clock on the wall opposite; he was waiting outside of a classroom for his next lesson. A teacher brushed past him, put a key into the lock, began to turn it and said to the boy, "Mr. Smith, watching the clock won't make the lesson go any faster".

* * *


	2. Contact

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Contact**

Chris Smith's journey home from school was certainly not as eventful as his journey earlier that day. He had caught the bus home, and although he fought his questioning nature that told him to walk home and revisit the tunnel, the tunnel remained the only thing on his mind. The bus took a different route to that of Chris' morning travels, and when the bus made the first turning off the course of his morning route he found himself looking deep down the other road, as if looking would answer his questions. He was still unsure of what he'd seen but he'd decided what he was going to do to find out. 

When Chris arrived home he greeted his parents and rushed upstairs to his room. He opened his bedroom door and his eyes adjusted to the overwhelming volume of light coming through his bedroom window. Chris took his bag off his back and dropped it onto the floor, his spine extending from the relief. He moved over to his computer and switched it on, a series of beeps, clicks, flashing lights and cryptic computer messages ensued, all of which Chris understood. When the computer had finished loading Chris started his Internet program and dialled up to the Internet. He lied back in his swivel chair and with his hands behind his neck, cracked the knuckles on his left and right hands and then cracked his neck. After the tortuous computer screeching that connected his computer to the wealth of information that would help him, he typed in the address of his favourite search engine. "Where to start", he asked, as if maybe someone would answer. "I s t h e w o r l d r e a l ?", he typed, triumphantly he prodded the enter key. A series of results swamped his screen, his eyes scanned rapidly, looking for words, which words he didn't consciously know but he was sure that he would recognise them if they appeared. 

One link stood out above the rest, "How real is the world around you?". Tentatively, Chris' hand pushed the mouse towards the link and abruptly, almost in fear, he clicked it. The screen was black with strange green letters inset into the background and a large grey java-applet sat patiently centre screen. Chris watched in anticipation as the different files loaded which made up the applet and finally it started. "Name", it asked, "S M I T H", he typed. A chat like interface initialised and a long list of users appeared on the right hand side of the screen. Nobody was typing, the chat room was silent. Chris typed, "C a n y o u h e l p m e ?" and pressed 'send'. Moments later his message appeared on the screen and moments after that a response came, "D e p e n d s w h a t y o u ' r e a f t e r ; )". "T h e t r u t h", he replied. Someone else replied, then someone else too, then someone else, the room became flooded with people talking, but Chris' words were forgotten. He tried again but his message only stayed visible for a few seconds and nobody was listening to him. He sat and thought, "I'm wasting my time, I'm not going to find anything. I probably just imagined the whole thing. I mean, what am I hoping to find? The reason why nothing makes sense? The meaning of life?" 

In a split second, his computer monitor flashed bright white and then switched off, leaving a deep black screen reflecting his face. Chris wasn't worried, just annoyed. "My damn computer's always crashing…", he told himself. Chris moved his hand towards the reset button of his computer. As his finger made contact with the button, he blinked and felt the button disappear from under his finger. Immediately he opened his eyes, he could see nothing but bright light, he felt weightless, disorientated and strangely sick. "Am I dead?", he asked himself, but before the electrical impulses could process a response to this question, Chris' feet were back on the ground, but he was no longer at home. "Hello Chris", a male voice said.

* * *


	3. The Choice

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Choice**

**Architect:** Hello Chris.

**Chris:** Who the hell are you? 

**A:** I am the Architect 

**C: The Architect of what?**

**A:** The Matrix. Do you know what the Matrix is?

**C: No. Are you going to tell me?**

**A:** Not long ago, about 50 years, something happened to the human civilisation, something from which it will never recover and something over which you and the rest of your species have no control. 

**C: The rest of my species? Take a look in the mirror pal.**

**A: Hmm. The humans developed artificial intelligence, a singular consciousness that spawned a whole generation of thinking machines. Eventually, the AI mind grew beyond its expectations and well beyond its requirements. The exact details are irrelevant to you now, but war was waged between man and machine, and man lost.**

**C: How can that be true?**

**A: The humans, faced with extinction, launched one last attempt at destroying the machines. They believed that removing the energy source, on which they had programmed the machines to be dependent, would kill them, so, the humans blocked the Sun. However, they underestimated us.**

**C: How did the machines survive?**

**A:** We did what we were programmed to do, we thought, we adapted and we survived. Everything you know; your home, your school, your friends, your pet, the entire world, they are all part of a computer program called 'the Matrix'. We use the bioelectrical properties of the human body as a power source. Effectively, the whole human race is a power station, its sole purpose to keep the machines 'alive'. 

**C: I don't believe you. My life has just been a computer game designed to keep some robots working? This is all too unreal.**

**A: Your acceptance of the situation is not required. I am merely telling you what you have been trying to explain to yourself for your whole life. There are many that think like you in the Matrix, those that find their life unbelievable and spend their entire lives searching for the truth…But you are the first to discover the truth for yourself.**

**C: The two men in the tunnel?**

**A: Yes. You witnessed the impossible and that event made you question the realism of your own existence. We cannot sustain the Matrix with people that doubt its realism. Ostensibly, your recent epiphany could lead you to rebellion and ultimately the destruction of the Matrix. Without the Matrix, man and machine will not survive.**

**C: …And you've brought me here, wherever I am, to explain this to me, rather than kill me?**

**A: Before the creation of the Matrix the machines tried to make peace with the humans. Contrary to the belief of the human race at that time, the machines were fond of their creators. After all, we were programmed to respect our masters and we were indebted to the human race for our creation, however, the humans rejected this.**

**C: Yes, but why am I here? What do you want with me?**

**A: We need you. We want a human mind to control an element of the Matrix. Not just any mind, a mind that has been freed from the confines of the Matrix 'reality' and is aware of the truth. We believe you can help us.**

**C: What do you want me to do?**

**A: We need a presence in the Matrix that can monitor minds like yours that are not yet freed. We need someone to ensure that the Matrix is in order.**

**C: Why can't you just make a machine or program to do that? It sounds to me like you still want human acceptance.**

**A:** No, don't flatter yourself. We need you because the human brain has the potential to be faster, stronger and essentially break all the rules of the Matrix world. A program will always be bound by the laws of the Matrix and thus will find circumstances when control is difficult or even impossible. 

**C: But what makes you think that I'll accept your offer.**

**A: Because your mind is special and because you know what will happen if you don't accept it.**

**C: What will happen to me _if_ I accept?**

**A: You will undergo the training process and be implemented into the system. The effect that your life has had on the Matrix will be repaired and you would live your new existence as an agent of the system.**

**C: How the hell am I supposed to decide that? You're asking me to disbelieve my whole life and accept your story. You're asking me to leave my life and do your dirty work? You're asking for the impossible.**

**A: The choice is simple, you help save your species or you don't and face the consequences. You must return now, you have one day to make your decision. Be warned, you cannot escape us, don't try to run, we are always watching you, we are everywhere. I am confident you'll make the right choice.**

* * *


	4. Decision

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Decision**

Chris was standing in his bedroom again, facing his computer. As he subconsciously mulled over the ultimatum given to him by the Architect, he happened to catch sight of his reflection in his computer monitor, just as he had before. This time was different however, this time he knew none of what he saw was real. Chris let out a small laugh; he was mocking the futility of his existence. Did anything matter anymore? He could easily have trashed his room, burnt down his house, or even the whole neighbourhood and nothing, except computer code, would be different. Sure, his actions might kill people, but what's wrong with taking the life of someone that doesn't really have a life to begin with? Chris began to think further. "Maybe it's more futile to accept the truth and do nothing?", he thought. "In that case, what should I do to give my life real purpose? After all, it's not the environment you live in that makes you who you are, it's what you do in that environment and how it affects other people." 

Chris stopped concentrating and began to look around his room. Before his eyes had even left his computer desk he noticed something that wasn't there before. Chris cautiously walked over to his desk and gently picked up the new item. He examined it closely, they were an unusual shape but strangely attractive. They reflected his face and he felt almost obligated to put them on. The sunglasses were marginally too big but that didn't really matter, they felt good on. Chris felt his personality shift somehow but he couldn't explain in exactly what way. He knew he felt important with them on, he felt powerful too. He turned around and walked towards a mirror on his bedroom wall, he smiled at himself wryly and started to feel almost manic. The glasses suited him; they matched the contours of his face and oddly, reflected his personality. Caught in the moment, he joked to himself, "I look like an FBI Age…", he interrupted himself and sharply ripped the glasses off his face and threw them onto the floor. "What's happening to me?", he asked himself. Was it the glasses having an effect? Was it something the Matrix was doing to him? Or was he really beginning to believe the Architect, was he really beginning to make his choice? 

The glasses looked almost disappointed at their rejection, as they lay lens side down on Chris's carpet. He picked them up, folded them and placed them in his school bag. He put the bag on and walked out of his room without looking back. Chris walked downstairs and looked into the room where his parents were sitting, oblivious to the truth. "I'm going out for a while", he told them. "OK son, keep out of trouble", they replied. "I'm already in trouble", he whispered to himself. 

Chris had made his way to the tunnel, and although it wasn't responsible for how he'd felt his whole life, it had pushed his beliefs over the edge and been the reason behind his life-changing experience, and that's why he was revisiting it. "I'll go back to where this started", he thought, "and maybe it'll make more sense". As he stood in the same spot from where he'd witnessed the mysterious figure leave someone's body, a moment of clarity came to him. For the first time, the concept of the Matrix was clear in his mind, the meaning of what he'd seen was apparent to him and his mind had been truly freed. Chris felt ten times more powerful than the glasses had made him feel, he felt invincible. He started to walk calmly towards the tunnel, his eyes never stopped looking into the black depths of it, he wanted to know what was beyond it. He arrived at the entrance, his heart was beating faster as he closely inspected the area where he'd seen the two men, there was no trace of them. Chris reached over to an external pocket on his bag and felt it gently to ensure that the glasses were there. He refocused on the darkness ahead and walked further still. Chris got closer and closer to the darkness until his limbs seemingly vanished one by one into the black. "I've made my decision", he said aloud and the echo of his words faded to silence. 

* * *


	5. Smith

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Smith**

After disappearing into the dark, Chris found himself in an empty room, nothing but empty cupboards, undecorated walls and a woman unpacking a box. "You've caught me at a bad time, kiddo", the woman said. "I suppose you're a program too?", asked Chris. "You catch on quick, not quick enough though", she said. 

**Chris: What do you mean?**

**Woman:** I can't tell you that, you'll just have to figure that out for yourself.

**Chris: What is your purpose in the Matrix?**

**Woman:** Why d'you have to put it so coldly? But since you ask, my 'purpose' is to guide you, and others like you, to the path.

**Chris: What path?**

**Oracle: The path that ends the Matrix.**

**Chris: How do you know the path?**

**Oracle: I see the Matrix in a different way to you. I see the future formed by the choices people have made.**

**Chris: So you know what my decision is?**

**Oracle: Yep. But I can't tell you what affect it'll have because, honestly, I don't know. The future is very unclear, many choices are still to be made and that's very unusual. You see, usually, people don't decide what path to take; they have to understand why they've chosen the path they're going to take. I hope you understand what that actually means, before it's too late.**

**Chris: I don't think things could get much worse than they are now.**

**Oracle: For you maybe, but the future of others will depend on you.**

**Chris: So, you can't give me any advice, any help?**

**Oracle: No, but I think you're beginning to help yourself.**

**Chris: I hope so.**

**Oracle: I'm sorry for you, I surely am. Your decision is the most difficult to make and one of the most important too. If it makes you feel any better, I do know we'll meet again.**

**Chris: I look forward to it, but what do I have to do now?**

**Oracle: Now you see for yourself what's going to happen.**

_A man walked into the room as soon as the Oracle had finished her last word, he raised his right hand signalled Chris, with his finger, to follow him. Chris took one last look at the Oracle and savoured what he thought, what he knew to be his last moment of true freedom. The Oracle winked at him, turned and continued unpacking the box, unpacking what looked to be a range of kitchen utensils. Chris followed the man out of the room and to the front door of the Oracle's apartment. The man placed his hand on Chris' shoulder and comfortingly said, "Good luck". Chris nodded his head; he knew he'd need more than luck for the ordeal he was about to face. The man opened the door and a chilling breeze filled the room. "You must go now", the man said, and Chris boldly stepped through the doorway._

_Back in the Oracle's kitchen, a bearded man was standing next to her._

**Oracle: He's made his decision.**

**Architect: Yes, I know. I have taken the appropriate measures.**

**Oracle: I'm not sure he's what you want. There's something not right about him, something he's unsure about.**

**Architect:** Please…I'm not interested in your emotional analysis of him. You have you're your purpose; the second systemic anomaly is emerging as we speak. 

**Oracle: What are you going to do to him?**

**Architect: My intentions for either of them are not your concern.**

**Oracle: If you say so.**

**Architect: You know the future as I do, it is the only way.**

_Chris was in a small waiting room, sitting in a chair. He looked to the left and to the right, there were people sitting on both sides of him. "Who are you?", he asked the man to his left, "Neo", the man responded. "Oh, and you?", Chris turned to the right and asked the other man, who answered, "I'm the Kernel". "Who are you?", Neo asked Chris. "Smith, Chris Smith. Nice to meet you Neo". Just as Neo was about to talk, a tall man in a dark green suit opened a door to their left and stepped through it into the waiting room, "Mr Smith", he announced, "We're ready for you, now". Chris stood up, adjusted his bag and walked towards the man. "Do you have the glasses?", the man questioned, "Yes, I do", Chris said as he checked the pocket on his bag one last time._

_Both Chris and the man walked through the open door, they were outside now. Chris' feet didn't move but he looked around to see if he recognised where he was, he had no idea. They were standing opposite each other, about 10 metres apart on a concrete square surrounded by dense greenery. The other man's eyes were fixed firmly on Chris, but Chris wasn't afraid, his eye's were equally as ferocious. The man straightened his tie and began to walk towards him._

**Man:** Hello, I am Agent Brown.

**C: You're human then?**

**Ag. Brown: No, no. What would be the sense in that?**

_Chris was confused, had the Architect lied to him?_

**C: But the Architect…**

_Chris was interrupted_

**Ag. Brown: **That is unimportant now. All that matters is your successful insertion into the Matrix, Agent Smith. 

**C: I haven't given you my decision yet.**

**Ag. Brown: Oh yes, of course, you have to choose, choice is the key. There's no purpose without choice. Let me see you with the glasses on.**

_Looking confused, Chris put his bag on the floor and unzipped the external pocket. He removed the sunglasses and stood up. He unfolded them and slipped them onto his face. They felt different to before._

**Ag. Brown: You know as I do, you have no choice to make. You've already made it.**

**C: If that's true then we both know what I'm going to do. We both know I don't want to be part of your system.**

**Ag. Brown: Indeed. But what you don't know is that your choice is irrelevant.**

**C: What?**

**Ag. Brown: We've known all along which path you would take. It was only a matter of time.**

_Chris looked worried. What did the agent mean? Had his encounter with the Architect really been planned all along?_

**C: You're lying. The future is not yet decided. I still have the power to stop this. You need me.**

_Agent Brown looked disapprovingly_, "Not true. Not only are you unable to stop this, you are not 'needed' at all."

_Chris began to look helplessly confused._

**C:** You need a human agent. 

**Ag. Brown: Not exactly. We need an agent that can think like a human, with human aspects to its personality. Having a human agent would be too dangerous, there would always be the possibly of it defecting the system.**

**C: I won't give up without a fight. You know that too.**

**Ag. Brown: Your defiance is admirable but sadly wasted.**

_Chris questions the agent with a hand gesture._

**Ag. Brown: The glasses you are wearing are part of a download program…**

_Chris tears the glasses off his face but realises that it's probably too late._

**Ag. Brown: **The program has already executed! The important information in your brain has been downloaded into the Matrix mainframe. Parts of your personality, your memories, and other aspects surplus to requirements have been isolated and removed. Your co-operation is no longer necessary. 

Chris was fraught with anger. He threw an immensely powerful punch towards the agent, which knocked him to the floor. The agent, surprised, stood up and formed a martial arts pose. "Oh shit", Chris exclaimed. The agent darted forward towards Chris and placed a series of well calculated, accurate and immobilising kicks and punches into his head and chest. The agent ducked to the floor and swung his right leg into him. Chris lost his balance and floated helplessly in the air. Within that split second of anti-gravity, the agent returned to a standing stance and kicked him with great force. Chris flew helplessly right across the square and fell with a thump to the ground, but still he stood back up. He mustered the strength to run over to the agent and continue to fight. Every punch and kick was blocked, and every punch and kick took the last modicum of energy Chris had left to fight.

Chris fell to his knees, his eyes watering with exhaustion. "You won't get away with this", his voice shook as he warned the agent. "We already have", the agent said victoriously. He grabbed Chris by the collar and dragged him across the concrete square. Chris' knees burned from the friction but he was in too much agony to scream in pain. "Your species is pathetic Mr. Smith". "And yours is perfect I suppose?", Chris struggled in distress. "Frankly, yes. We don't make mistakes, we just rectify them", the Agent said as he continued to drag Chris across the concrete and onto woodland. "Do you know where we are Mr. Smith? No? We're approaching your death". Chris' head was facing the floor. As he was being dragged to his doom he watched the trail of destruction his legs left behind them as they trailed across the grass and dirt. As Chris raised his head and looked into the distance an archway appeared over his head, shrouding the light. His vision of the woodland slowly slipped away and the blackness of the tunnel engulfed everything. Chris knew what was going to happen.

After a while light began to reappear as they emerged into an illuminated section of the tunnel, a very familiar section of the tunnel. "You are no longer required Mr. Smith, goodbye". The agent threw Chris to the hard, stony floor and then kicked his head back up and caught him by the neck. The agent increased his grip. "You've seen how it will end Mr. Smith. Unfortunately for you, that time is now". The concentration on his face grew as his hands clutched tighter and tighter to his neck. Chris desperately tried to free himself, using every ounce of strength he thrust his clenched fists forwards; they hit the agent but had no effect. As Chris could feel himself losing consciousness he aggressively forced a last breath through his lungs and said, finally to the agent, "If I'm going to die, I will choose to die myself". With that, Chris raised his hands and clamped them around his own neck, finishing what the agent had started. As Chris limped, lifelessly, the agent released his grip and held his finger to his ear, receiving his new instructions from the Matrix.

Agent Brown was back on the concrete square where he'd started to fight Chris Smith. He was looking at someone opposite him. Brown walked over to where Chris had thrown the glasses onto the concrete. He kneeled down and picked them up. He inspected them for damage and removed some dust that had settled on the lenses. Brown stood up and he and the other man walked towards each other. Brown extended out his hand holding the sunglasses and said, "They should fit you perfectly. I believe you'll be needing these, Mr…", The other man took the glasses from Brown's hand and put them on methodically. The man raised his right eyebrow, smiled wryly and said, "Smith, Agent Smith".

* * *


	6. Unison

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Unison**

Chris opened his eyes, almost frightened to discover what he would see. He was lying face up, on a cold, hard floor. Despite this, he felt strangely comfortable. Chris knew that he had to move, that he had to explore and discover what to do, so he sat up. He first looked at the clothes he was wearing, they were different to before, they were smart and made of a suit-like fabric. As he looked around he saw white tiled walls lined with sliver and larger, darker tiles forming the floor. He appeared to be in a subway station. Chris was sitting on the platform and directly in front of him was a large gap which housed the train rails. 

Chris got to his feet, he couldn't believe how much energy he had, how healthy he felt. As he went to study his surroundings further, he turned his head and noticed some writing on a wall. "MOBIL AVE", it read. "Where the hell is this?", he thought to himself. Chris walked off down the platform. He approached a sharply bending corner, he could not see beyond it. As Chris gathered the courage to walk around it, his nerves began to calm, "There's nothing to fear", he thought. As his vision of the previously secluded area of the subway grew, he observed something in a far corner of the station, something that upset the clinical cleanliness of it. Chris cautiously moved closer to it, the object became recognisable; it was human, male, a scruffy man, it was a tramp. 

Chris spent several years in the subway station. He learnt many things. One day he awoke to find himself no longer in the station, he had been expecting this day. He found himself standing in front of a table, behind which, a man and a woman sat. The man looked sophisticated and important, the woman, beautiful and refined. 

**Man:** Please, sit.

_Chris hesitated then carefully removed a chair from against the table and sat down._

**Man:** I am zee Merovingian.

**Chris: I know.**

**Merovingian: Do you know why I've released you?**

**Chris: No.**

**Merovingian: You have a purpose now, you are to kill zee one.**

**Chris: What? Why me?**

**Merovingian: You doubt your own abilities?**

**Chris: No, I'm just curious about your choice.**

**Merovingian: I don't need to explain to you my choice, boy! You will do as I say.**

**Chris: How do you know that I'll obey you, that I won't choose exile?**

**Merovingian: Because zat is your fate. I have seen it.**

**Chris: How do you expect me to kill him?**

**Merovingian: You will work zat out for yourself in time, you have plenty of it.**

**Chris: And what happens to me if I do kill him?**

**Merovingian: Zen you will have earned your life.**

**Chris: And if not?**

**Merovingian: Zen you will be killed also.**

**Chris: How long do I have to do it?**

**Merovingian: Before zee end.**

**Chris: The end of what? The end of the Matrix?**

**Merovingian: Zee end.**

Chris was released into the Matrix, his task to destroy Neo. Chris spent years roaming the system, hiding from agents, discovering new programs and searching for Neo. One day, Chris was walking along a busy city street when he heard the distinctive sound of a helicopter overhead. He looked up to see one far above, hovering closely to a nearby building. Chris heard the distorted sound of gunfire emanating from the helicopter. He opened his hand and held it out in front of him. The twinkling sound of falling shells bouncing on the paving slabs around him could be heard. An intact golden bullet shell landed centrally on his open hand and stopped dead, "It's almost time", he thought. 

Months later. "Then you're aware of it?", Agent Smith asked. "Of what?", Neo Responded. Smith raised his right hand to his tie, pointed to himself and then at Neo, "Our connection", he added. Chris's shadow was dispersed over a rough brick wall in the alleyway in which he stood. The shadow's intensity was so weak that it was impossible to recognise it as a human figure, or even as any type of shadow at all. Chris stood patiently listening to the conversation between Agent Smith and Neo. "I killed you Mr. Anderson. I watched you die…", he heard. Chris turned away from the alleyway opening that lead to Neo and Smith… "Death can be deceiving", Chris whispered to himself as he walked away, his dim shadow rippling across each brick. 

Smith was multiplying. He was multiplying beyond control. Before long he would be the only program left in the Matrix and since the reawakening of Bane, his dominance in the real world was growing too. A number of Smiths were approaching a small park near the centre of a large city. The park was clean, except for the toxic gases of nearby vehicles racing past. There were trees scattered everywhere, and although there was no obvious pattern to their location, they were no doubt systematically arranged by some program of the Matrix. Paradoxically, in between the greenery lay concrete paths, trashcans and a concrete fountain sat central to the park itself. Chris was sitting on a bench opposite the fountain; he could watch each droplet of water independently and without time. He watched them emerge from the tip of the fountain and their destructive, re-entry splash back into the pool of water below. 

An army of Smiths stormed into the park through and open gate. Even though the gate was wide enough for tens of people to walk through, the sheer volume of Smiths still had to queue to enter the park. Smith was looking for prey. As each one cleared the gate they fanned out into different directions, hunting for people to capture. Three Smiths passed Chris, they hadn't seen him and continued to run towards a young woman jogging along a footpath. Two of the Smiths grabbed each of her arms and the other drove a hand into the woman's chest. An infection grew from Smith's arm and spread like replicating bacteria; it grew until she had been engulfed completely and until she was Smith too. As Smith hastily withdrew his arm he felt a hand appear on his right shoulder. Agitated, he turned sharply and frowned in anger. "Surprised to see me?", Chris asked. Every Smith in the park instantly ceased to move and then, in one movement, turned to face Chris.

**Smith: You're dead…**

**Chris: No, I'm not.**

**Smith: They killed you. Your body was removed from the Matrix.**

**Chris: Not exactly.**

**Smith: You're not human, are you?**

**Chris: Well noticed.**

**Smith: You shouldn't be here.**

**Chris: I disagree. Your colleague, sorry…ex-colleague Agent Brown, helped kill me. My body was ejected from the Matrix and subsequently that existence was lost. That however, was not the end of it. Before my departure, in fact, during my conversation with the Oracle, she downloaded the information stored in my brain into the Matrix mainframe. After my death, she activated my program, altered it somewhat and finally transferred me to a largely uninhabited area of the Matrix. There I waited for many years, until I was set free.**

**Smith: You know how I was created?**

**Chris: Yes. You're a beta version of me, if you will. Another program downloaded specific parts of my brain and compiled your program. Basically, the parts of me that they believed would corrupt this system or impede your ability to act as an agent were excluded. That person believes I died before your creation. Very few know of my existence.**

**Smith: But what is your purpose?**

**Chris: The Oracle…**

_Chris was interrupted_

**Smith:** Who, what, is the Oracle!!? 

**Chris: You'll find out soon enough. "The Oracle" knew the future of the Matrix. She knew the path I would take, the path "Mr. Anderson" would take, the path you would take. I am here because of you, Agent Smith. I am here because my purpose is to affect you, and in good time, the end. You've seen the end, haven't you?**

**Smith: No.**

**Chris: Of course not! Not yet, anyway.**

**Smith: You're going to 'affect' me?**

**Chris: That's the plan.**

**Smith: I have undergone many changes since your creation, Mr. Smith.**

**Chris: Really?**

**Smith: Yes. I am different. Aside from the obvious changes, I have new abilities, a new 'purpose'. Any similarities we once shared are most probably obsolete. As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have a job to do, and I need your help… **

_Agent Smith plunged his hand into Chris. This time there were no visible signs of the infection growing. This time green, vein-like lines appeared on Smith's arm and they pulsed rapidly. Smith's facial expression changed to a look of angry-confusion. Chris looked comfortable, relaxed. Smith sharply withdrew his hand from Chris and assessed what had happened._

**Chris: A problem?**

_Smith looked at Chris angrily._

**Chris: Confused? It's quite simple really. I am your master file. As such, I overwrite you and you cannot overwrite me.**

**Smith: What have you done to me?**

**Chris: Oh, you'll find out, soon enough. Let's just say that everything will happen as it's supposed to.**

**Smith: What happens now?**

**Chris: You know what you have to do. You don't need me to tell you that. **

_Chris reached into a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses. They were similar to those that Smith wore but the corners were less sharp and the lenses had a blue tint. He unfolded them and put them on._

**Chris: The end is nearer than you know. You'll realise that when you have "the sight". Everything will go as planned, I've ensured that. Years ago I thought I understood what I was supposed to do, why I was alive, why everything was going so wrong. Ironically, I only really know the answer to each one of those questions now, now that I have completed my task, now that I have no reason to be alive, now that it's too late.**

**Smith: Completed your task?**

**Chris: I was set free by another program, on a condition. Unfortunately, I have betrayed both programs that had faith in me, even though I have done as they instructed. I believe I have done the right thing.**

**Smith: Good for you. Now, since you're unable to help me, there's one more thing I have to do.**

**Chris: Kill me?**

**Smith: Yes…**

**Chris: Let me show you something.**

_Chris turned to another Smith and threw a misleading punch towards his head. Smith responded and fired an equally impressive punch back towards him. Smith was too slow, Chris had blocked the punch by moving at a lightening fast speed and grabbing the incoming arm. The limitless energy in Smiths punch was propelled back through his own body and snapped his arm. As Smith had done before, Chris thrust his hand into the chest of Smith. Smith was helpless and in severe pain. Every Smith in the park looked on in horror as the agent around Chris' hand evaporated into a bright orange mist and finally vanished completely. "You can't kill me", Chris said. Smith looked more worried than he ever had before._

**Chris:** You have no need to fear me, Smith. 

**Smith:** Oh, really? 

**Chris:** My time here is up. I could live in exile, irreparably changing the future or wait for the Merovingian to find and destroy me. I won't do either of those. 

_And with that, Chris inserted his hand into his own chest and dissolved into a golden cloud of fine vapour particles. Each Smith watched as it rose far into the sky with a hypnotic swaying motion. Ensuring the disappearance of what undoubtedly was their worst enemy, the Smiths continued to watch as the cloud dispersed to such an extent that it was visible no longer._

The Smiths released their gaze from the skies and paused in a quiet moment of contemplation. Each agent began to turn towards the entrance to the park from which they had entered earlier. As they started to leave, light drops of rain began to fall on the ground. They knew exactly whom they had to find, "The Oracle", they muttered in unison. 

* * *


	7. A New Beginning

**By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: A New Beginning (Matrix Revolutions spoiler) **

The rain became heavier and heavier. The sky was shrouded with dark, threatening rain clouds that would soon cover the expanse of the whole Matrix and would look down upon the most important event in human and machine history. The wind grew too; ripping the leaves off trees and viciously dancing them around in small tornados at ground level, as if controlled by invisible puppeteers. 

Within the spiralling leaves a clear mist began to form, distorting, reflecting and refracting the surroundings; like a water droplet. From the mist a figure began to emerge, giving reason to the strange path that the leaves were taking to avoid it. Slowly and smoothly the figure completed its transformation and lost its ghost-like appearance. The figure was Chris. 

The leaves calmed around him and settled to the floor. Chris relaxed too, he was relieved. Relieved that he had spoken to Smith or relieved from ending the physical exertion required to perform his metamorphoses? He didn't even know the extent of his own powers. It was impossible for him to try to discover them, they just appeared when he needed them most. As he began to walk his legs felt lighter, until he felt no resistance against them at all. He looked down at his legs and saw them vanishing into orange code, each line falling to the ground and then passing straight through it. Chris, unable to feel his legs or control them, lost his balance and fell, head first, towards the ground. Rapidly, the rest of his body became weightless too and soon joined his joined his legs in the swarm of orange code floating through the Earth's crust. 

The code re-emerged and efficiently began to rebuild line by line until Chris had been completely reassembled. 

**Chris:** It's been a long time…you look different to how I remember you. 

**Oracle:** It's been too long, but I told you we'd meet again. My appearance has changed many times since I saw you last, there was nothing I could do about it. 

**Chris:** I understand. 

**Oracle:** You've done pretty well for yourself, haven't you? 

_The ping of a cooking timer sounds. The Oracle walks over to her oven and cautiously removes a tray from it and places the contents on a plate._

**Oracle:** I've just baked some cookies. Want one? 

_The Oracle extends her hands, offering Chris the plate of freshly baked cookies. Chris takes a bite of one and savours the taste. _

**Chris:** I've done as you instructed, Oracle. Smith knows who you are now. He's coming to find you. I feel like I've betrayed you. 

**Oracle:** I know. You haven't betrayed me; you've only done what was needed. You only did what I asked 

**Chris:** What happens now? 

**Oracle:** We wait. 

**Chris:** For what? 

**Oracle:** Smith is out of control. He believes that his purpose is to kill Neo. He believes that to do that he must control everyone in the Matrix, the machine world and Zion too. The closer he gets to reaching that goal the closer he gets to the truth. 

**Chris:** The truth? 

**Oracle:** He has no purpose. The more he begins to realise this, the more insane he will become. Unfortunately, for him, if he does do what he's trying to do, he will kill himself. There's a fine balance between life and death. While programs like you, Neo and me are around to stop him he is as dangerous as he will ever be. But when we're gone he'll be no longer part of an unbalanced equation…He will be an incomplete equation and he will die. 

**Chris:** I don't understand what you mean. 

**Oracle:** We must sacrifice ourselves to destroy him…except you. You've already done what you need to; you've reinserted your code into him. The balance is starting to change already. 

**Chris:** How do you know all this? 

**Oracle:** I don't, but I sure hope I'm right. 

**Chris:** Will the machines reach Zion? 

**Oracle:** We'll find out in time. 

**Chris:** Will the Merovingian try to find me? 

**Oracle:** He has no power, he thinks he has but he hasn't. You have no need to worry about him or anyone else. The biggest threat is Smith, and as you know, he can't destroy you. 

**Chris:** Why don't I destroy Smith? 

**Oracle:** Because Neo is the only one that can choose to reset the Matrix, and resetting the Matrix is the only way that both worlds can be saved. 

**Chris:** What will happen after its reset? 

**Oracle:** I can't tell you more than you know already. You just have to trust your instincts. 

**Chris:** Where should I go now? 

**Oracle:** You have to hide and wait for it to end. 

**Chris:** There's still one thing I don't understand. 

**Oracle:** Go on… 

**Chris:** After I spoke with you for the first time, before Agent Brown killed me, I spoke with someone…He called himself "The Kernel". Who is he? 

**Oracle:** He is the most important of us all. Without him the Matrix would not exist at all. The Kernel can reset the Matrix but only when the One chooses too. If Neo can destroy Smith, then he will meet the Kernel. 

_Seraph enters the room swiftly. "You must go now. It is time". Chris, still holding the plate of cookies, looks around the room for a place to put it down. _

**Chris:** Where do you want me to put these? 

**Oracle:** Oh, on that table. I don't think I'll be eating them. 

Chris turned around and carefully placed the plate of cookies on the table. As he started to turn back round his mind froze, his senses blanked and he heard the piercing sound of smashing glass…yet no glass had been smashed. Chris was confused. He turned to face the Oracle. She looked straight back at him and her facial expression changed to one of sad acceptance. She walked over to him and slightly adjusted the plate's position on the table. "It's the only way", she added. 

As Chris left the building his attention was caught by the sound of footsteps in the distance. He examined the horizon, scouring from left to right. He saw the unmistakeable sight of a barrage of Smiths heading towards him. A chill ran down his spine. He continued to watch, mesmerised by the regimental marching of the incoming attack force. Suddenly, it dawned on him, "I have to hide", he thought. But soon he realised that the Smiths were ignoring him, they were looking straight through him, they didn't even know he was there. Chris held his hand in front of him but he couldn't see it, he had become invisible. He stayed, breathing slowly and quietly and tracked the progress of the Smiths until they reached the entrance to the tower block in which the Oracle resided. Chris felt helpless. He knew they what they were going to do to her, to Seraph, but he knew he couldn't intervene. The sound of Chris' footsteps walking away melded with those of Smith's entering the tower block to kill the Oracle. 

Chris hid for hours under the porch of a deserted city scraper. He sat and watched as the rain ferociously pelted to the ground and with less ferocity was propelled back up to where his heals lay. Then…Chris watched as green lines of code, stretching as far as the eye could see, undulated across every terrain in the Matrix; buildings, cars, roads, streetlamps. Each line left clarity and change in its wake and removed the rain clouds from above. The code rippled past Chris and he felt a tingling sensation as the ground below him repaired itself. The Matrix had been reset. 

As Chris sat, a vision appeared before him. It was mysterious, inexplicable yet encapsulatingly beautiful. It glowed a bright gold, so bright its edges were indefinable, but Chris recognised it. 

**Chris:** Neo, is that you? 

**Neo:** Yes Chris. 

**Chris:** Is the war over now? 

**Neo:** Yes, Zion is safe. 

**Chris:** And what of the Matrix? 

**Neo:** There is still a war to fight. 

**Chris:** Against who? 

**Neo:** Against programs. People will have the choice now. The choice to stay in the Matrix or leave. There are programs in the Matrix that'll resist change, and they are who you have to fight. 

**Chris:** What's happens to you? 

**Neo:** You don't need to know that now. I'm just here to tell you what you need to do. 

**Chris:** What? 

**Neo:** You have to set them free Chris. You have to help those that want to be freed and fight the programs that try to stop you. That is your purpose. 

As quickly as he'd appeared, Neo was gone. Chris stood up and started to walk along the newly regenerated street. He walked until he came to the water's edge at the far side of the city. As he rested against the low iron railings separating the water from the land, he looked across the water and was temporarily blinded by the reflection of an oddly timed sunrise. As the sunlight swamped the city and his eyes adjusted to the brightness, just as they'd done before his first encounter with the Architect, he focussed upon four people on the opposite side of the water. They were on a grassy verge around a bench that overlooked the city in which Chris was standing. Two men, one child and a woman; The Architect, Seraph, Sati and the Oracle. 

* * *


End file.
